Our project with AMRs – the sequel

In April, we posted a sneak preview of our work in progress with a client’s AMRs. These AMRs are part of a project that includes a palletising installation. For the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), we built part of the installation in our production area; a good moment for the sequel to the sneak preview. The video shows some fragments of the FAT and below a description of what the installation does.

Of several production lines are coming various types of buckets come differing, among other things, in diameter. Of all the lines, eight are assigned to a buffer conveyor at the central palletiser. Behind these eight lines, the buckets are collected in stacks on a short conveyor belt (not part of the FAT). The latter is a movable unit and can be used behind any line. If there are bucket stacks ready to be picked up, the OTTO Fleet Manager receives a ‘pick order’ and sends an available OTTO AMR to it. The OTTO AMR takes one or two bucket stacks from the conveyor and transfers them to the assigned buffer conveyor of the central palletising installation.

The palletising installation has four drop-off points, each with two buffer conveyors one above the other. Behind each drop-off point is an elevator that brings up the bucket stacks assigned to the top buffer conveyor. At the end of the buffer conveyors is a robot that palletizes the bucket stacks. With the specially developed gripper, the robot can palletize bucket stacks with different diameters. If the stacking pattern requires it, the robot can first change the side where the bucket brackets are located by rotating the stack. The robot then places the stack on the pallet.

The following was not part of the FAT: for most bucket types, the height of one stack is equal to the maximum pallet height. However, two stacks of some bucket types fit on top of each other on the pallet. If this is the case, a pallet stacker immediately behind the line stacks two stacks on top of each other, so that the OTTO AMR can bring these to the palletizing installation as one stack. Once a pallet is ready, it is strapped with a plastic strap and conveyed to an out feed.